Chocolate Chip Pancakes

We are having one of those rare snow days in Texas today so everyone is snuggled at home! I was surprised that they cancelled school at 10pm last night before there was even any precipitation. But of course, it was a good call as there is a lot of ice (and some snow) out there this morning. So far, my husband's work is delayed 2 hours, but we're still hoping that they cancel. Even if they don't cancel, he'll work from home, so that's not too bad.

Anyway, back to the food! We eat pancakes quite often around here and I've had a chocolate chip pancake on my list to try so why not today? These turned out very fluffy with a hint of chocolate goodness. Not surprising, but these did not last long at all! Guess the kids are fueling up to go play in the bitter cold!! I'm sure you could simply add chocolate chips to your favorite recipe for a yummy result. The kids prefer their pancakes plain while Tony enjoyed his with syrup. I was somewhere in between and just used butter. :-)
.

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the chocolate chips. Using a 1/4 measuring cup, pour batter onto a hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top and cook until brown.

ENJOY!

Buttermilk Biscuits

I was looking for a recipe to use up some leftover buttermilk and decided on buttermilk biscuits. After pouring through dozens of recipes, I settled on this one from the Brownies for Dinner blog. I think the process of hitting the dough did more for my mental state than the biscuits, but the result was a soft and buttery biscuit that everyone loved!


Ingredients(Makes 10-12 biscuits)

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter, cold
3/4 cup buttermilk

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix together all of the dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles pea sized crumbs.

Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. Stir until the flour is just incorporated but the dough is sticky and loose.

Pour dough onto a floured surface and knead for 1 minute. The dough should be smooth and no longer wet (add small amounts of flour as needed). Shape the dough into a ball and hit it with a rolling pin, turning it and folding it in half every few hits. Repeat for a couple of minutes.

Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness and fold in half. Cut out your biscuits using a round cutter. One thing to note is that they do tend to shrink a little bit so keep that in mind when selecting the size cutter you use. I used a smaller cutter this time and liked the outcome- especially for the kids.
Place biscuits close together on a baking sheet.


Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Buttermilk Biscuits

As I was browsing a site yesterday, I came across a picture of biscuits that made my mouth water! So, this morning I set out to make some Buttermilk Biscuits. This recipe is from the Better Homes & Garden New Baking Book.

The recipe as written called for 1/2 cup shortening, but I substituted unsalted butter. I also cut the temperature down from 450 degrees because I thought mine browned a little quick. I have learned over the past few months that the key to getting "layers" in your biscuit is in the folding of the dough. Their recipe didn't mention this, but I folded and rolled the dough 3 times before cutting the biscuits. It provided a tall, layered biscuit with a soft and buttery texture- perfect!




Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 ts salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup cold butter (or 1/2 cup shortening)
2/3 cup cold buttermilk

Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter or shortening until the mixture resembles crumbs.


Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk all at once. Stir with a fork just until moistened.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Quickly knead dough by folding and gently pressing 10 to 12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. Roll dough out to 3/4 inch then fold in half. Repeat this 3 times.

Cut dough with round cutter (2.5"). Place 1" apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

I made one batch with a 1 1/2 inch cutter and one batch with the 2 1/2 inch cutter. The smaller ones were perfect for the kids who gobbled them up! The bigger ones worked well for our breakfast. I thought that these were a little better for my husband's post run breakfast than last weeks huge cinnamon rolls! These were VERY yummy!!

Enjoy!

Flour Tortillas

At least in my house, you can't have Mexican food without flour tortillas...and they have to be fresh! Years ago I tried my hand at making homemade flour tortillas. Little did I know at the time that I would completely spoil my husband (and now kids)- he does not eat store bought tortillas anymore. But honestly, I don't mind because they do taste much better and aren't hard to make at all. It does help that he is usually the tortilla cooker/flipper.

I have played with so many recipes to try to find one that suites our tastes. As much as he likes homemade tortillas, he isn't as picky about them as I am. I can't even begin to remember where I found a recipe and it really doesn't matter much as it has been changed so much over time that it isn't the same recipe anymore. Most tortillas recipes are very similar- just a little bit different measurements. You have to play around with them to get the texture that you want. I mostly change up the amount of fat and the baking powder to get the desired consistency.

Ingredients
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup hot water

Directions

In a bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Using a pastry blender, break up mixture until shortening is pea sized.

Add hot water and stir to combine.


Using your hands, form dough into a ball. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough until it is smooth- about 3 minutes.

Place ball of dough in bowl and cover with damp towel for about 15 minutes.

After the dough rests, divide it into 8 pieces and form into small balls.

Roll out dough to desired size. If needed, use flour to prevent sticking. Don't worry about making them perfectly round. After all, they are homemade, not machine made.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook the tortillas on one side until they start to bubble, then flip and cook until they puff up.

Remove from skillet. You can place the cooked tortillas in a large zipper type bag to keep them warm/ soft.

Enjoy!

Mexican Cornbread

My husband loves Mexican Cornbread...the "plain" stuff just won't do for him! I have made this recipe for years. I believe that it started out with the regular cornbread recipe my Mom always used and I added from there! This is a very moist and flavorful bread that goes great with soups, stews, chili's and more!

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 small can corn, drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 onion,chopped
chopped jalapenos to taste

Directions
In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl beat together eggs, milk and oil. Add to flour mixture and stir just until batter is combined. Add corn, cheese, onion and jalapenos. Pour into a 9x9 inch baking dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

**This recipe can easily be doubled and baked in a 9x13 inch dish for 30-40 minutes.
**I often use cream corn- if you want to use this, you need to decrease the milk to about 3/4 cup Leftovers also freeze well!


Enjoy!

Buttermilk Pancakes

These buttermilk pancakes are definitely a staple in our house! They make a really great breakfast or a quick and cheap dinner! We have very fond memories of our son calling these "pan-pies"....we're a little sad he doesn't call them that anymore- but maybe we can get his little sister to call them that...hmmm :-)

If you know anything about us, we have a true love for Disney and you can't have pancakes here without a little Mouse!


Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions
1. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl combine egg, buttermilk and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy). Stir in fruit at this point if desired.

2. For each pancake, pour 1/4 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased skillet. For dollar sized pancakes, use 1 tbsp batter. Cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until pancakes are golden brown, turning to second side when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry. Serve warm. Top with syrup.



Enjoy! (Man...now I want pancakes!)